The dark sky blues: Light pollution is robbing us of the stars

Earlier this year, in a letter to the journal Science, two American astronomers introduced a new term to capture the loss of our ability to observe the night skies due to light pollution. 

They called it "noctalgia," or "sky grief."

The letter's authors — Aparna Venkatesan and John C. Barentine — say noctalgia represents more than the loss of pristine environment, but also the loss of heritage, identity, storytelling and ancient sky traditions. 

Light pollution in Edmonton is significant, and the sense of loss is understood by members of the city's stargazing community.

Seen from space at night, Alberta's capital — like many other cities — shines like a white blotch on a dark canvas.

Frank Florian, senior manager of planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton's Telus World of Science, says he could understand someone who grew up under the beautiful dark sky in the country, or worked on a farm, away from the city lights, "kind of grieving" for it. 

"You're losing the ability to look up and appreciate the night sky," Florian said.

In the city, you'll see next to nothing, Florian said. Only the brightest stars are visible.

To see the starry night skies in their full splendour, it's best to leave the city. After driving for about 30 minutes into the countryside, you begin to leave behind Edmonton's light dome, and can see the sky that resembles a view you could see in a planetarium.

"When I go out, I always yearn to go back out, away from bright city lights, to do stargazing, because you just see so much more," Florian said.

However, even in Edmonton, there's a way to take a good look at the stars — a rather close look, in fact.

Steps away from the science centre, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Observatory houses a collection of telescopes that allow amateur astronomers to make detailed observations of the cosmos.

Some of the telescopes can be equipped with astrophotography cameras and used to take pictures of stellar objects.

During the fall and winter, the observatory is open to the public Friday and Saturday evenings, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.